Apparatus for optical measurements of nitrogen concentration in thin films

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are disclosed for evaluating nitrogen levels in thin gate dielectric layers formed on semiconductor samples. In one embodiment, a tool is disclosed which includes both a narrow band ellipsometer and a broadband spectrometer for measuring the sample. The narrowband ellipsometer provides very accurate information about the thickness of the thin film layer while the broadband spectrometer contains information about the nitrogen levels. In another aspect of the subject invention, a thermal and/or plasma wave detection system is used to provide information about the nitrogen levels and nitration processes.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/428,387, filed May 2, 2003 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,784,993,which is a divisional of and claims priority to U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 09/864,981, filed May 24, 2001 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,583,876B2).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject invention relates to measurements of nitrogen content inthin films formed on semiconductor wafers. In particular, complimentaryapproaches are disclosed for monitoring nitrogen content which includethermal wave technology as well as spectroscopic and ellipsometricmeasurements.

BACKGROUND

In the process of fabricating semiconductor devices, very thin films areused to form dielectric gates. Currently, silicon dioxide is the mostcommon material used for the gate dielectric. With the push towardssmaller devices, thinner gate dielectric layers are needed. Today, theselayers are only 10 to 20 Angstroms thick. To obtain the necessarycharacteristics with these very thin layers, the industry is movingtowards adding nitrogen to the silicon dioxide material.

The amount of nitrogen added to the silicon dioxide must be accuratelycontrolled and therefore a precise method for measuring nitrogenconcentration is required. Metrology efforts in the past have focusedupon secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and X-Ray type measurementssuch as ESCA (Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis) or XPS (X-rayPhotoemission Spectroscopy). Attempts have also been made tocharacterize nitrogen levels using either ellipsometry or spectroscopy.

It is believed that neither spectroscopy nor ellipsometry alone canprovide sufficient information about nitrogen levels in a sample.Therefore, it would be desirable to develop one or more approaches formonitoring nitrogen levels that was fast, accurate and non-destructive.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In accordance with the subject invention, an approach has been developedwhich permits accurate evaluation of the nitrogen levels in an oxidelayer. In this approach, two optical measurements of the semiconductorare made. The first measurement is based on a stable, narrowbandellipsometer. The information from the ellipsometer is useful fordetermining the thickness of the thin gate dielectric. This measurementis desired since an accurate determination of nitrogen levels based onan analysis of spectroscopic measurements also requires a very accurateknowledge of the layer thickness. A single wavelength, off-axisellipsometer is one of the best tools for measuring the thickness of avery thin layer.

In accordance with the subject invention, a second measurement is madewhich is particularly sensitive to nitrogen concentration. Thismeasurement is preferably a broadband multi-wavelength measurement. Ininitial experiments, it has been found that suitable information can beobtained from a reflectometry measurement, particularly concentrating inthe UV wavelengths.

The measurements obtained from the narrowband ellipsometer and thereflectometer are used in combination to determine the thickness of thegate dielectric and the nitrogen concentration. More specifically, atheoretical model is set up which corresponds to the actual sample,including a substrate and at least the gate dielectric layer. The modelincludes various characteristics of the material, for example, thicknessof the layer, index of refraction, and extinction coefficient. The modelis typically seeded with initial parameters of the materials. Using theFresnel equations, calculations are performed to determine expectedmeasurement data if the modeled sample actually existed and wasmeasured. This calculated data is then compared to the actual measureddata. Differences between the calculated data and the actual measureddata are then used to vary the expected characteristics of the sample ofthe model in an iterative process for determining the actual compositionof the sample, including nitrogen levels.

The analysis of samples using a combination of a narrowband ellipsometerand another spectroscopic tool was described by assignee in PCTpublication WO/9902970. This prior application described the benefits ofusing a narrowband ellipsometer to measure the thickness of a thin filmor thin film stack and how that information can be combined with othermeasured data to characterize a multi-layer structure. This disclosureherein is directed to extending that measurement concept for evaluatingnitrogen levels in a dielectric layer.

In initial experiments, the subject approach provided a highly accurateanalysis. This approach is also relatively mathematically intensive. Incertain on-line production situations, it is desirable to have a fasttesting procedure for monitoring nitrogen levels in real time.

It has been discovered that another metrology approach, a thermal and/orplasma wave analysis, can be used to provide a faster, precisemeasurement. In these systems, an intensity modulated pump laser beam isfocused on the sample surface for periodically exciting the sample. Inthe case of a semiconductor, thermal and plasma waves are generated inthe sample which spread out from the pump beam spot. These waves reflectand scatter off various features and interact with various regionswithin the sample in a way which alters the flow of heat and/or plasmafrom the pump beam spot. (For convenience, the term “thermal wave” willbe used for the remainder of the specification and claims to representthe wave like phenomenon associated with periodic excitation andincludes both thermal and plasma waves.)

The presence of the thermal waves has a direct effect on thereflectivity at the surface of the sample. Features and regions belowthe sample surface which alter the passage of the thermal waves willtherefore alter the optical reflective patterns at the surface of thesample. By monitoring the changes in reflectivity of the sample at thesurface, information about characteristics below the surface can beinvestigated.

In one monitoring approach, a second laser is provided for generating aprobe beam of radiation. This probe beam is focused collinearly with thepump beam and reflects off the sample. A photodetector is provided formonitoring the power of the reflected probe beam. The photodetectorgenerates an output signal which is proportional to the reflected powerof the probe beam and is therefore indicative of the varying opticalreflectivity of the sample surface.

The output signal from the photodetector is filtered to isolate thechanges which are synchronous with the pump beam modulation frequency.In the preferred embodiment, a lock-in detector is used to monitor themagnitude and phase of the periodic reflectivity signal. This outputsignal is conventionally referred to as the modulated opticalreflectivity (MOR) of the sample.

The assignee herein markets a product which operates in accordance withthese principals under the trademark Therma-Probe. This deviceincorporates technology described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.4,634,290; 4,636,088, 4,854,710 and 5,074,669. The latter patents areincorporated herein by reference.

It is also known that thermal wave effects can be measured with otherforms of probes. In particular, the periodic excitation producesperiodic movement (deformation) at the surface of the sample which canbe monitored. Such techniques include interferometry as well as themeasurement of the periodic angular deflection of a probe beam.Information about such systems can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,521,118;5,522,510; 5,298,970; and PCT publications Nos. WO 00/20841 and00/68656, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Suchsystems for monitoring the variations of a probe beam are within thescope of the subject invention.

In all of the thermal wave systems, information about both the amplitudeand phase of the periodic signal generated from monitoring changes inthe probe beam can be extracted. It has been found that these signals,and particularly the amplitude signal, vary with nitrogen concentrationand thus can be used to monitor the nitration process. In practice, itwould be difficult to use the thermal wave signal to provide an accuratevalue for the nitrogen concentration. Such accurate measurements can,however, be obtained from the above described combination ofellipsometric and broadband detection system which generates far moredata and permits a more specific analysis to be made. In contrast, thethermal wave amplitude signal provides only a single value. Nonetheless,the sensitivity of the thermal waves to nitrogen concentrations is veryhigh such that a thermal wave detection system can be used to preciselymonitor a semiconductor fabrication process.

In the preferred embodiment, the thermal wave measurement technique iscalibrated using the ellipsometer/broadband technique. Morespecifically, one or more samples can be measured using the moreinformation rich ellipsometer/broadband measurement as well as thethermal wave technique. As noted above, the ellipsometer/broadbandtechnique can provide accurate information about nitrogen content of thesample. This information can be correlated with the thermal wavemeasurements so that the thermal wave measurements will also give anaccurate result for that type of sample. Thermal wave measurements canbe made in real time and therefore can provide a simple evaluation ofprocess parameters.

The sensitivity of the thermal wave technique to nitrogen concentrationis present only before the wafer is annealed. During the annealingprocess, where the wafer is typically heated, the physical structurechanges so that the thermal wave signal no longer varies with respect tonitrogen concentration. For this reason, the thermal wave signal is alsoideal as an indication of proper annealing. More specifically, if thewafer has been fully annealed, it will produce the same thermal wavesignal no matter what the nitrogen level. If the wafer is measured afterthe annealing process, the extent to which the wafer was successfullyannealed can be evaluated.

Further objects and advantages of the subject invention will becomeapparent with the following detailed description, taken in conjunctionwith the drawings in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an optical metrology device including asingle wavelength ellipsometer in combination with additionalmeasurement tools.

FIG. 2 a is a graph showing broadband spectra of DPN wafers with variousnitrogen content.

FIG. 2 b is a graph showing the percentage of nitrogen concentration ina DPN wafer set.

FIG. 3 is a graph comparing optical measurements to a SIMS measurement.

FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating optical measurements of various wafers.

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating optical measurements of various wafers.

FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating optical measurements of various wafers.

FIGS. 7 a-c illustrate the effects of using a desorber to pre-treat thewafers prior to measurement.

FIG. 8 is a graph correlating nitrogen content with process time andfilm thickness.

FIG. 9 is a graph representing marathon testing.

FIGS. 10 a and 10 b are graphs comparing the sensitivity of measurementsmade with the ellipsometer/broadband combination and the thermal wavetechnique.

FIGS. 11 a-c illustrates the use of an ellipsometer/broadband techniqueto calibrate a thermal wave measurement.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of a thermal/plasma wave metrology tool.

FIG. 13 illustrates one form of a combination tool including a singlewavelength ellipsometer, a broadband spectrometer and a thermal/plasmawave tool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In a first aspect of the subject invention, nitrogen concentrations ingate dielectrics can be accurately measured using a combination of themeasurements obtained from a narrowband ellipsometer and at least oneother measurement system, including for example, a broadbandspectrophotometer. The metrology industry currently markets tools havingmore than one type of measurement module on a single platform. Assigneesherein market such a device under the name Opti-Probe.

FIG. 1 is basic illustration of such a tool. This first aspect of thesubject invention relates to using such a tool to produce measurementsuseful in analyzing nitrogen content in a gate dielectric. The device ofFIG. 1 is described in greater detail in PCT application No. WO99/02970, incorporated herein by reference. The elements of the deviceare described briefly herein.

The apparatus of FIG. 1 includes five different non-contact opticalmeasurement devices as well as a narrow band, off-axis ellipsometer 2for measuring a sample 4 including a substrate 6 and a thin gatedielectric 8. The composite optical measurement system 1 includes a BeamProfile Ellipsometer (BPE) 10, a Beam Profile Reflectometer (BPR) 12, aBroadband Reflective Spectrometer (BRS) 14, a Deep Ultra VioletReflective Spectrometer (DUV) 16, and a Broadband SpectroscopicEllipsometer (BSE) 18. These five optical measurement devices utilize asfew as two optical sources: laser 20 and light source 22. Laser 20generates a probe beam 24, and light source 22 generates probe beam 26(which is collimated by lens 28 and directed along the same path asprobe beam 24 by mirror 29). Laser 20 ideally is a solid state laserdiode which emits a linearly polarized beam at 673 nm. Light source 22is ideally a combination of two lamps, deuterium and tungsten, thatproduces a polychromatic beam that covers a spectrum of 190 nm to 820nm. The probe beams 24/26 are reflected by mirror 30, and pass throughmirror 42 to sample 4.

The probe beams 24/26 are focused onto the surface of the sample with alens 32 or lens 33. In the preferred embodiment, two lenses 32/33 aremounted in a turret (not shown) and are alternatively movable into thepath of probe beams 24/26. Lens 32 is a spherical, microscope objectivelens with a high numerical aperture (on the order of 0.90 NA) to createa large spread of angles of incidence with respect to the samplesurface, and to create a spot size of about one micron in diameter. Lens33 is a reflective lens having a lower numerical aperture (on the orderof 0.4 NA) and capable of focusing deep UV light to a spot size of about10 to 15 microns.

Beam profile ellipsometry (BPE) is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,080,issued Jan. 19, 1993, which is commonly owned by the present assigneeand is incorporated herein by reference. BPE 10 includes a quarter waveplate 34, polarizer 36, lens 38 and a detector 40. In operation,linearly polarized probe beam 24 is focused onto sample 4 by lens 32.Light reflected from the sample surface passes up through lens 32,through mirrors 42, 30 and 44, and directed into BPE 10 by mirror 46.The position of the rays within the reflected probe beam corresponds tospecific angles of incidence with respect to the sample's surface.Quarter-wave plate 34 retards the phase of one of the polarizationstates of the beam by 90 degrees. Linear polarizer 36 causes the twopolarization states of the beam to interfere with each other. Formaximum signal, the axis of the polarizer 36 should be oriented at anangle of 45 degrees with respect to the fast and slow axis of thequarter-wave plate 34. Detector 40 is a quad-cell detector with fourradially disposed quadrants that each intercept one quarter of the probebeam and generate a separate output signal proportional to the power ofthe portion of the probe beam striking that quadrant. The output signalsfrom each quadrant are sent to a processor 48. As discussed in the U.S.Pat. No. 5,181,080, by monitoring the change in the polarization stateof the beam, ellipsometric information, such as ψ and Δ, can bedetermined. To determine this information, the processor 48 takes thedifference between the sums of the output signals of diametricallyopposed quadrants, a value which varies linearly with film thickness forvery thin films.

Beam profile reflectometry (BPR) is discussed in U.S. Pat. No.4,999,014, issued on Mar. 12, 1991, which is commonly owned by thepresent assignee and is incorporated herein by reference. BPR 12includes a lens 50, beam splitter 52 and two linear detector arrays 54and 56 to measure the reflectance of the sample. In operation, linearlypolarized probe beam 24 is focused onto sample 4 by lens 32, withvarious rays within the beam striking the sample surface at a range ofangles of incidence. Light reflected from the sample surface passes upthrough lens 32, through mirrors 42 and 30, and directed into BPR 12 bymirror 44. The position of the rays within the reflected probe beamcorresponds to specific angles of incidence with respect to the sample'ssurface. Lens 50 spatially spreads the beam two-dimensionally. Beamsplitter 52 separates the S and P components of the beam, and detectorarrays 54 and 56 are oriented orthogonal to each other to isolateinformation about S and P polarized light. The higher angles ofincidence rays will fall closer to the opposed ends of the arrays. Theoutput from each element in the diode arrays will correspond todifferent angles of incidence. Detector arrays 54/56 measure theintensity across the reflected probe beam as a function of the angle ofincidence with respect to the sample surface. The processor 48 receivesthe output of the detector arrays 54/56.

Broadband reflective spectrometer (BRS) 14 simultaneously probes thesample 4 with multiple wavelengths of light. BRS 14 uses lens 32 andincludes a broadband spectrometer 58 which can be of any type commonlyknown and used in the prior art. The spectrometer 58 shown in FIG. 1includes a lens 60, aperture 62, dispersive element 64 and detectorarray 66. During operation, probe beam 26 from light source 22 isfocused onto sample 4 by lens 32. Light reflected from the surface ofthe sample passes up through lens 32, and is directed by mirror 42(through mirror 84) to spectrometer 58. The lens 60 focuses the probebeam through aperture 62, which defines a spot in the field of view onthe sample surface to analyze. Dispersive element 64, such as adiffraction grating, prism or holographic plate, angularly disperses thebeam as a function of wavelength to individual detector elementscontained in the detector array 66. The different detector elementsmeasure the optical intensities (magnitude) of the different wavelengthsof light contained in the probe beam, preferably simultaneously.Alternately, detector 66 can be a CCD camera, or a photomultiplier withsuitably dispersive or otherwise wavelength selective optics. It shouldbe noted that a monochrometer could be used to measure the differentwavelengths serially (one wavelength at a time) using a single detectorelement. Further, dispersive element 64 can also be configured todisperse the light as a function of wavelength in one direction, and asa function of the angle of incidence with respect to the sample surfacein an orthogonal direction, so that simultaneous measurements as afunction of both wavelength and angle of incidence are possible.Processor 48 processes the intensity information measured by thedetector array 66.

Deep ultra violet reflective spectrometry (DUV) simultaneously probesthe sample with multiple wavelengths of ultra-violet light. DUV 16 usesthe same spectrometer 58 to analyze probe beam 26 as BRS 14, except thatDUV 16 uses the reflective lens 33 instead of focusing lens 32. Tooperate DUV 16, the turret containing lenses 32/33 is rotated so thatreflective lens 33 is aligned in probe beam 26. The reflective lens 33is necessary because solid objective lenses cannot sufficiently focusthe UV light onto the sample.

Broadband spectroscopic ellipsometry (BSE) is discussed in U.S. Pat. No.5,877,859, issued Mar. 2, 1999, which is commonly owned by the presentassignee and is incorporated herein by reference. BSE (18) includes apolarizer 70, focusing mirror 72, collimating mirror 74, rotatingcompensator 76, and analyzer 80. In operation, mirror 82 directs atleast part of probe beam 26 to polarizer 70, which creates a knownpolarization state for the probe beam, preferably a linear polarization.Mirror 72 focuses the beam onto the sample surface at an oblique angle,ideally on the order of 70 degrees to the normal of the sample surface.Based upon well-known ellipsometric principles, the reflected beam willgenerally have a mixed linear and circular polarization state afterinteracting with the sample, based upon the composition and thickness ofthe sample's film 8 and substrate 6. The reflected beam is collimated bymirror 74, which directs the beam to the rotating compensator 76.Compensator 76 introduces a relative phase delay δ (phase retardation)between a pair of mutually orthogonal polarized optical beam components.Compensator 76 is rotated at an angular velocity ω about an axissubstantially parallel to the propagation direction of the beam,preferably by an electric motor 78. Analyzer 80, preferably anotherlinear polarizer, mixes the polarization states incident on it. Bymeasuring the light transmitted by analyzer 80, the polarization stateof the reflected probe beam can be determined. Mirror 84 directs thebeam to spectrometer 58, which simultaneously measures the intensitiesof the different wavelengths of light in the reflected probe beam thatpass through the compensator/analyzer combination. Processor 48 receivesthe output of the detector 66, and processes the intensity informationmeasured by the detector 66 as a function of wavelength and as afunction of the azimuth (rotational) angle of the compensator 76 aboutits axis of rotation, to solve the ellipsometric values ψ and Δ asdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,877,859. Detector/camera 86 is positionedabove mirror 46, and can be used to view reflected beams off of thesample 4 for alignment and focus purposes.

The subject device further includes a narrow-band ellipsometer 2.Ellipsometer 2 includes a light source 90 that produces aquasi-monochromatic probe beam 106 having a known stable wavelength andstable intensity. Preferably, this result is achieved passively, wherelight source 90 generates a very stable output wavelength which does notvary over time (i.e., varies less than 1%). Examples of passively stablelight sources are a helium-neon laser, or other gas discharge lasersystems.

The beam 106 interacts with polarizer 92 to create a known polarizationstate. In the preferred embodiment, polarizer 92 is a linear polarizermade from a quartz Rochon prism, but in general the polarization doesnot necessarily have to be linear, nor even complete. Polarizer 92 canalso be made from calcite. The azimuth angle of polarizer 92 is orientedso that the plane of the electric vector associated with the linearlypolarized beam exiting from the polarizer 92 is at a known angle withrespect to the plane of incidence (defined by the propagation directionof the beam 106 and the normal to the surface of sample 4). The azimuthangle is preferably selected to be on the order of 30 degrees becausethe sensitivity is optimized when the reflected intensities of the P andS polarized components are approximately balanced. It should be notedthat polarizer 92 can be omitted if the light source 90 emits light withthe desired known polarization state.

The beam 106 is focused onto the sample 4 by lens 94 at an obliqueangle. The beam 106 is ideally incident on sample 4 at an angle on theorder of 70 degrees to the normal of the sample surface becausesensitivity to sample properties is maximized in the vicinity of theBrewster or pseudo-Brewster angle of a material. Based upon well knownellipsometric principles, the reflected beam will generally have a mixedlinear and circular polarization state after interacting with thesample, as compared to the linear polarization state of the incomingbeam. Lens 96 collimates beam 106 after its reflection off of the sample4.

The beam 106 then passes through the rotating compensator (retarder) 98,which introduces a relative phase delay δ (phase retardation) between apair of mutually orthogonal polarized optical beam components. Theamount of phase retardation is a function of the wavelength, thedispersion characteristics of the material used to form the compensator,and the thickness of the compensator. Compensator 98 is rotated at anangular velocity ω about an axis substantially parallel to thepropagation direction of beam 106, preferably by an electric motor 100.Compensator 98 can be any conventional wave-plate compensator, forexample those made of crystal quartz. The thickness and material of thecompensator 98 are selected such that a desired phase retardation of thebeam is induced. In the preferred embodiment, compensator 98 is abi-plate compensator constructed of two parallel plates of anisotropic(usually birefringent) material, such as quartz crystals of oppositehandedness, where the fast axes of the two plates are perpendicular toeach other and the thicknesses are nearly equal, differing only byenough to realize a net first-order retardation for the wavelengthproduced by the light source 90.

Beam 106 then interacts with analyzer 102, which serves to mix thepolarization states incident on it. In this embodiment, analyzer 102 isanother linear polarizer, preferably oriented at an azimuth angle of 45degrees relative to the plane of incidence. However, any optical devicethat serves to appropriately mix the incoming polarization states can beused as an analyzer. The analyzer 102 is preferably a quartz Rochon orWollaston prism. The rotating compensator 98 changes the polarizationstate of the beam as it rotates.

It should be noted that the compensator 98 can be located either betweenthe sample 4 and the analyzer 102 (as shown in FIG. 1), or between thesample 4 and the polarizer 92. It should also be noted that polarizer70, lenses 94/96, compensator 98 and polarizer 102 are all optimized intheir construction for the specific wavelength of light produced bylight source 90, which maximizes the accuracy of ellipsometer 2.

Beam 106 then enters detector 104, which measures the intensity of thebeam passing through the compensator/analyzer combination. The processor48 processes the intensity information measured by the detector 104 todetermine the polarization state of the light after interacting with theanalyzer, and therefore the ellipsometric parameters of the sample. Thisinformation processing includes measuring beam intensity as a functionof the azimuth (rotational) angle of the compensator about its axis ofrotation. This measurement of intensity as a function of compensatorrotational angle is effectively a measurement of the intensity of beam106 as a function of time, since the compensator angular velocity isusually known and a constant.

The scope of the present invention includes any ellipsometerconfiguration in conjunction with the light source 90 (having a stable,narrow-band wavelength) that measures the polarization state of the beamafter interaction with the sample. For example, another ellipsometricconfiguration is to rotate polarizer 92 or analyzer 100 with motor 100,instead of rotating the compensator 98.

In addition, null ellipsometry, which uses the same elements asellipsometer 2 of FIG. 1, can be used. The ellipsometric information isderived by aligning the azimuthal angles of these elements until a nullor minimum level intensity is measured by the detector 104. In thepreferred null ellipsometry embodiment, polarizers 92 and 102 are linearpolarizers, and compensator 98 is a quarter-wave plate. Compensator 98is aligned so that its fast axis is at an azimuthal angle of 45 degreesrelative to the plane of incidence of the sample 4. Polarizer 92 has atransmission axis that forms an azimuthal angle relative to the plane ofincidence, and polarizer 102 has a transmission axis that forms anazimuthal angle relative to the plane of incidence. Polarizers 92 and102 are rotated about beam 106 such that the light is completelyextinguished (minimized) by the analyzer 102. In general, there are twopolarizer 92/102 orientations that satisfy this condition and extinguishthe light. Null ellipsometry is very accurate because the results dependentirely on the measurement of mechanical angles, and are independent ofintensity.

It is also conceivable to omit compensator 98 from ellipsometer 2, anduse motor 100 to rotate polarizer 92 or analyzer 102. Either thepolarizer 92 or the analyzer 102 is rotated so that the detector signalcan be used to accurately measure the linear polarization component ofthe reflected beam. Then, the circularly polarized component is inferredby assuming that the beam is totally polarized, and what is not linearlypolarized must be circularly polarized.

In accordance with the subject invention, nitrogen content in the thinfilm layer 8 formed on sample 4 can be determined by taking at least twomeasurements. One of the two measurements is obtained from theellipsometer 2. Such a stable single wavelength ellipsometer can providehighly accurate information about layer thickness.

The data obtained from the ellipsometer 2 can be combined with datataken from one or more of the other measurement devices. In initialexperiments, it has been found that good results can be obtained fromthe spectrometer measurements, particularly at the UV wavelengths.However, it is within the scope of the subject invention to use any oneor more of the other measurement devices discussed above.

Once the measurements are taken, they are supplied to a processor fordetermining the nitrogen content of the film. The reflectivitymeasurements are preferably normalized to a known reference material asa means to remove the effects of optical artifacts in the measurementsystem. In this application, the data can be improved by using areference sample that comes from the process immediately prior tonitridation. Once the data is normalized, the processor uses a recipewhich includes a model of the sample including the substrate and atleast the gate dielectric layer. The model includes variouscharacteristics of the material, for example, thickness of the layer,index of refraction, and extinction coefficient. The model is typicallyseeded with initial parameters of the materials. Using the Fresnelequations, calculations are performed to determine expected measurementdata if the modeled sample actually existed and was measured. Thiscalculated data is then compared to the actual measured data.Differences between the calculated data and the actual measured data arethen used to vary the expected characteristics of the sample of themodel in an iterative process for determining the actual composition ofthe sample, including nitrogen levels.

The model is weighted such that the data from the ellipsometer 2constrains the solutions for layer thickness while the data from thebroad band measurements constrains the solution for nitrogen content.

EXPERIMENTAL EXAMPLES

Introduction

Using an Opti-Probe and combining the ellipsometer 2 (AE) and broadband(BB) technologies, over fifty 8″ thin oxide wafers which were nitridedunder either remote plasma nitridation (RPN) or decouple plasmanitridation (DPN) process were evaluated.

In this study, a three-parameter {t,f_(SiO2),f_(Si3)N₄} recipe has beendeveloped. The recipe employs the AE for measuring the oxide thicknesswith the best repeatability, together with the broadband spectrometer(S) to measure the nitrogen (N) concentration via its effect on the DUVproperties of the film.

Results show a clear trend from 0% to 50% in fSi₃N₄, or from 0% to 40%in f_(N), among the wafers. A comparison of Opti-Probe to othertechnologies, i.e., secondary ion mass spectrometer (SIMS), nuclearreaction analysis (NRA) and variable angle spectral ellipsometer (VASE)is discussed below. A correlation with SIMS results is also presented.The effect of adsorbed environmental film on the surface is discussed,which can be minimized by implementing desorbing technology of the typedescribed in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 09/499,478, filed Feb.7, 2000. A repeatability of 1.5% on N concentration was obtained from athree-day measurement run involving fifteen load/measure/unload cycles.

Beside film thickness and nitrogen content, the interface states betweenthe nitrided oxide film and its Si-substrate is also critical toelectronic performance of gate devices. Studies on a assignee's thermalwave metrology device (Therma-Probe) show that variation at theinterface of the Si-substrate induced by changes in process parameterscan be detected with an extremely high sensitivity.

This study demonstrates the capability of the Opti-Probe andTherma-Probe to monitor thickness, nitrogen concentration in thinnitrided oxide films and its interface states.

A total of eleven 8″ RPN samples were used to verify this method. Thesamples as well as the measurements performed on each wafer are listedin table 1 below:

TABLE 1 RPN wafers Box Slots Measurement 1 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16,{t, f_(SiO2), f_(Si3N4)} 18, 20, 22

A total of five 1″ square PRN samples were used to verify this method.The samples as well as the measurements performed on each wafer arelisted in table 2 below:

TABLE 2 RPN wafers Box Slots Measurement 1 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 {t,f_(SiO2), f_(Si3N4)}

A total of forty-five 8″ DPN samples with various nitrogen atomiccontents were used to verify process independency and repeatabilitystudies. The samples as well as the measurements performed on each waferare listed in table 3 below:

TABLE 3 DPN Wafers Box Slots Measurement 1 1, 2, 4-7, 10-16, 18, 19,22-24 {t, f_(SiO2), f_(Si3N4)} 2 5-8 {t, f_(SiO2), f_(Si3N4)} 3 1-20 {t,f_(SiO2), f_(Si3N4)} 4 1-5 {t, f_(SiO2), f_(Si3N4)}

An Opti-Probe was used to monitor the DPN process on total of 268 8″ DPNsamples. The samples as well as the measurements performed on each waferare listed in table 4 below:

TABLE 4 DPN Wafers monitored on an Opti-Probe and a Therma-Probe # ofBox Description sample Measurement 1 Customer DPN 18 + 7ref {t,f_(SiO2), f_(Si3N4)} Marathon 2-17 DPN Hardware Test 243 {t, f_(SiO2),f_(Si3N4)}Measurements Performed

-   1. Single point measurements.-   2. 15-time load/unload repeatability: A 15-time repeatability value    for each wafer is defined as the standard deviation of 15-time    load/unload measurements for a period of three days.-   3. Three points 1 mm horizontal linescan measurements.-   4. 21-point linescan measurements: 21-point linescan measurements    with 6-mm edge exclusion.-   5. 21-point linescan measurements with desorber: Prior to each    21-point linescan measurement with 6-mm edge exclusion, a standard    desorber was used to desorb the wafers at 400° for 300 seconds and    15 second for cooling.-   6. 21-point linescan measurements on a Therma-Probe: 21-point    linescan measurements with 6-mm edge exclusion were performed on    some wafers on a Therma-Probe.    Results and Discussion    Methodology: Development and Verification on RPN Wafers

In order to monitor the nitrogen atomic content, an effective medium(EMA) dispersion model for the nitrided oxide was developed.

Since there is a slight spectral change in deep UV wavelength region dueto N contents in each sample as illustrated in FIGS. 2 a and 2 b. I) thesample with zero N content as in the slot 1 has to be selected as a newreference in the data analysis; ii) a narrow spectral range from 190 nmto 250 nm of BB is chosen in the final recipe. The thickness and bothfractions of two components (SiO₂ and Si₃N₄) are floating in the finalfit. The {t,f_(SiO2),f_(Si3)N₄} recipe has been applied for all thinnitrided oxide samples in this study using a combination of AE and BBtechnologies of Opti-Probe. As used herein the “BB” or broadbandtechnologies is meant to include the Broadband Reflective Spectrometer(BRS), the Deep Ultra Violet Reflective Spectrometer (DUV), and theBroadband Spectroscopic Ellipsometer (BSE). In the actual experiments,the most significant data was obtained from the DUV measurements in therange of 190 to 250 nm.

In table 5, a comparison of Opti-Probe results to SIMS data is given. Inthe table, N contents of each wafer pair were assumed to be identical toeach other. The atomic content of nitrogen atom is defined below:f _(N) =N _(N)/(N _(N) +N _(O))*100%=4/3f _(Si3N4)/(4/3f _(Si3N4)+2*f_(SiO2))*100%Here, N_(N) and N_(O) is the total number of nitrogen and oxygen atoms;f_(Si3N4) and f_(SiO2) is the fraction of silicon nitride and siliconoxide, respectively.

TABLE 5 Summary of Opti-Probe results on eleven RPN wafers Slot # tf_(SiO2) f_(Si3N4) N %_OP N %_SIMS Expect % 1 8.5 2 25.18 0.86 0.14 9.18.5 3 5 8.0 4 24.62 0.90 0.10 6.4 5 8.0 5 12.5 6 25.33 0.89 0.11 7.112.5 7 8 12.0 8 24.87 0.90 0.10 6.5 8 12.0 9 11 16.5 10 25.36 0.85 0.159.7 11 16.5 11 10 16.0 12 24.58 0.88 0.12 7.9 10 16.0 13 14 18.5 1425.25 0.80 0.20 12.3 14 18.5 15 13 18.0 16 24.39 0.81 0.19 12.0 13 18.019 20.5 18 25.23 0.79 0.21 12.9 20.5 19 15 20.0 20 24.17 0.80 0.20 12.615 20.0 21 0.0 22 24.17 1.00 0.00 0.0 0 0.0

FIG. 3 presents a good correlation between Opti-Probe and SIMS. Thesolid line indicates the perfect correlation. The SIMS data was obtainedfrom an identical wafer set under the same process condition per eachwafer pair.

Comparison of Opti-Probe to Other Independent Technologies: NuclearReaction Analysis (NRA) and Variable Angle Spectral Ellipsometry (VASE).

Additional to the SIMS comparison in the previous section, the samerecipe was applied on the five 1″ square samples with higher Nitrogencontents. In table 6, a comparison among Opti-Probe, NRA (nuclearreaction analysis) and a commercial VASE has been presented. For sampleswith less than 25% Nitrogen content, the previous AE/BB approach show agood agreement to VASE. Both OP and VASE results are slightly lower thanthe NRA on moderate high concentrated sample, which could be due toaccumulation of environmental film on samples.

TABLE 6 A comparison among three independent technologies on the samesamples NRA VASE Slot t σt f_(Si3N4) σ_f_(Si3N4) f_(N) σ_f_(N) f_(N)σ_f_(N) f_(N) σ_f_(N) OP (AE/BB(190-250 nm)) 11 28.46 0.78 2.5% 1.2%1.6% 0.8% 1.2% 0.2% 3.0% 2.8% 13 24.30 0.12 8.9% 1.3% 6.1% 0.8% 4.4%0.6% 5.5% 3.4% 15 21.98 0.26 9.8% 1.3% 6.7% 0.9% 7.4% 1.0% 7.0% 3.6% 1724.83 0.19 28.8% 1.3% 21.2% 0.9% 32.0% 4.1% 22.6% 3.0% 19 39.57 0.3334.4% 0.9% 25.9% 0.6% 58.5% 7.1% 46.4% 5.3% OP (AE/BB(190-210 nm)) 1128.67 0.57 3.0% 2.6% 2.0% 1.8% 1.2% 0.2% 3.0% 2.8% 13 23.23 0.09 10.0%1.2% 6.9% 0.8% 4.4% 0.6% 5.5% 3.4% 15 21.41 0.14 10.3% 1.1% 7.1% 0.8%7.4% 1.0% 7.0% 3.6% 17 21.75 0.11 33.7% 1.2% 25.3% 0.8% 32.0% 4.1% 22.6%3.0% 19 27.51 0.10 53.4% 0.8% 43.3% 0.5% 58.5% 7.1% 46.4% 5.3%

The adsorption of environmental film will be discussed below. For higherconcentrated sample, due to non-linearity of the sample, a modified EMArecipe using narrower spectral range of BB was developed to determinethe nitrogen content, which shows a better correlation among these threetechnologies.

Repeatability Study

In order to monitor the nitrogen atomic content as well as robustness ofthe OP aproach, the same effective medium (EMA) dispersion model usingAE and BB(190-250 nm) for the remote plasma nitridation (RPN) wafers wasapplied to determine the nitrogen content of decouple plasma nitridation(DPN) wafers. The samples with zero N content as in the slot 24 in table7 was selected as a new reference in the data analysis.

Table 7 provides 15-time load/unload results at each wafer center, whichshows clear trends in nitrogen atomic contents within each group.

Results of the 15-time load/unload repeatability of all wafers areillustrated in FIGS. 4-6. A process dependency of nitrogen contentsamong these wafers has been clearly presented in both FIGS. 4 and 5,which also demonstrates the capability of the Opti-Probe to determinenitrogen contents in thin nitrided oxide films

TABLE 7 Opti-Probe results for atomic fraction & thickness Measurementsequence was a 15-time load/unload run over three days for each wafer:Mean-f_(Si3N4) σ_f_(Si3N4) Mean-f_(N) σ_f_(N) Mean-t Slot σ_t ProcessTime (s) 1 0.7% 1.5% 0.5% 1.0% 27.22 0.39 50 2 1.3% 1.3% 0.8% 0.9% 28.230.24 90 4 3.5% 1.7% 2.4% 1.2% 28.60 0.55 180 5 3.7% 1.2% 2.5% 0.8% 28.450.45 240 6 0.3% 0.6% 0.2% 0.4% 27.35 0.41 0 7 1.9% 1.1% 1.3% 0.7% 23.860.35 50 10  6.0% 1.0% 4.1% 0.7% 25.84 0.40 180 11  6.8% 1.8% 4.7% 1.3%26.25 0.50 240 12  0.4% 0.8% 0.2% 0.6% 22.09 0.33 0 13  4.2% 1.5% 2.9%1.0% 21.50 0.39 50 14  5.8% 1.2% 3.9% 0.8% 23.04 0.35 90 15  7.4% 1.6%5.0% 1.1% 23.18 0.52 90 16  8.2% 1.4% 5.6% 1.0% 25.67 0.41 180 18  0.2%0.3% 0.2% 0.2% 19.45 0.47 0 19  4.4% 1.5% 3.0% 1.0% 21.37 0.38 50 22 9.9% 1.2% 6.8% 0.8% 25.35 0.31 180 23  10.2% 1.3% 7.0% 0.9% 26.48 0.41240 24  0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 19.51 0.23 0 2^(nd).Set N₂ Pressure (mtorr)5 16.2% 1.3% 11.4% 1.0% 22.90 0.38 10 6 14.9% 1.4% 10.5% 1.0% 22.08 0.4115 7 10.6% 1.7% 7.3% 1.2% 21.84 0.65 30 8 6.6% 1.5% 4.5% 1.0% 22.38 0.4760Environmental Effect

A side-by-side comparison of standard Opti-Probe results to Opti-Probedesorber results on all four subsets in the 3rd box was done. FIG. 7illustrates the effects of environmental film on samples in thefollowing aspects of a) thickness (mean thickness of each 21-pt.linescan), b) thickness uniformity (one sigma of each 21-pt. linescan),and c) nitrogen content (mean concentration of each 21-pt. linescan).

The increase of nitrogen content accommodating with decrease of filmthickness was observed after desorbing each samples prior to standard OPmeasurements. Without desorbing samples prior to measurements, exitingof environmental film effectively dilutes nitrogen concentration. In theother word, the true nitrogen content can be determined using adesorber.

Process Dependency

In the process, the nitrogen content can be varied by numerous processparameters as well as initial thin oxide thickness. Table 8 lists theinitial mean wafer thickness, changes in one process parameter and meannitrogen content per wafer of another wafer set. A process dependency ofnitrogen content has been illustrated in FIG. 8, which is within processexpectation.

TABLE 8 Average thickness and N content per wafer after desorbing Time(s) 0 20 40 60 80 Subset Mean_t₀ (A) Mean_f_(N) 1 12.9 0.0% 6.5% 10.9%13.8% 16.5% 2 15.9 0.0% 4.6% 6.6% 9.3% 11.7% 3 17.7 0.0% 3.4% 4.7% 6.6%8.9% 4 42.5 0.0% 1.1% 1.4% 2.0% 2.7%Marathon Test

Eighteen samples under the same process condition were selected fromvarious boxes. The nitrogen content as well as film thickness weredetermined using the AE/BB method on an Opti-Probe. The test was runrepeatedly over many days. One sigma of 0.6% in wafer mean nitrogencontent, and 0.08 A in wafer mean thickness were obtained as presentedin FIG. 9. The error bars represent±one sigma of each 21-pt line scanacross each wafer.

A Parallel Study on a Thermal Wave Device (Therma-Probe-TP)

Under the decouple plasma nitridation process, different interfacestates between thin nitrided oxide and the Si-substrate were generated.FIGS. 10 a and 10 b shows that i) OP has sensitivity only to few processparameters leading to change in nitrogen content (i.e., process time,gas flow rate, etc.); ii) TP has extremely high sensitivity to anyprocess parameters resulting in variation of surface states ofSi-substrate. For this reason, the Therma-Probe cannot provide accuratenitrogen concentration data without calibration.

In this study, the nitrogen content at each wafer center determined onthe Opti-Probe was applied to correlate Therma-Probe signal to nitrogenconcentration as shown in FIG. 11. FIGS. 11 a and b represents linescans across the wafer for the nitrided SiO2/Si wafers. The Nconcentration is calibrated using results from an Opti-Probe as shown inFIG. 11 c.

A repeatability study on these wafers performed on a TP are alsoillustrated in FIG. 11, where error bars represents±one sigma of 10-timeload/unload per site of a 21-pt line scans across each wafer. The plotsin FIG. 11 demonstrate that the thermal wave technique provides a twentyfold of improvement in one sigma in comparison to OP results in FIGS. 4and 5.

Overall, it should be apparent that the precision of the measurementsobtained from the Therma-Probe is far higher than with the Opti-Probe.However, since the Therma-Probe signal is affected by processparameters, it will not provide an accurate value for nitrideconcentration without prior calibration using an Opti-Probe. As notedabove, the Opti-Probe provides a very accurate value for nitrogenconcentration because of the large amount of data it collects and thedata fitting algorithms which it uses. An Opti-Probe could also achievea level of precision similar to the Therma-Probe, however, themeasurements would take a very long time, as much as a hundred timeslonger than the Therma-Probe.

Given the very high precision which can be obtained by the Therma-Probein a very short time, these types of measurements are ideal for fastmonitoring of the nitration process. More specifically, the tool couldbe used to monitor wafers in quickly, in real time, immediately afterthe nitration process. Variations in the thermal wave signal wouldindicate either a change in the nitrogen level or a variation in theprocess parameters, either of which could indicate a problem with thefabrication of the wafer.

As for implantation samples, the Therma-Probe signal can be washed outafter a thorough annealing process. More specifically, after annealingthe wafer, the thermal wave signal will be the same for a given sample(i.e., silicon with a layer of silicon dioxide of known thickness)regardless of the level of nitrogen in the sample. Thus, a thermal wavetool will be a useful tool for monitoring the annealing process afterdecoupling from plasma nitridation process.

Summary of Experiments

With trends of shrinking critical dimension, the thinner gate dielectricmaterial with better electronic performance than traditional SiO2 hasbeen required. With years of developments, nitrided oxide film has beenselected as the best SiO2 replacement for the gate dielectric materialfor the next generation devices. For either process improvement orprocess control, both process equipment suppliers and IC manufactureshave been searching for a reliable, fast, or a production availablemetrology. Currently there are only few available techniques used insurface science, i.e., SIMS, XPS, NRA, which is either slow ordestructive and are very expensive.

Thickness, nitrogen content and interface states are three keyparameters to quality of the process. A combination of Opti-Probe andTherma-Probe can provide a solution for both equipment makers and ICmanufactures. The concept of this new method has been verified onvarious samples processed under either RPN or DPN process in bothreliability and stability.

Thermal/Plasma Wave Measurements

Referring to FIG. 12, a device suitable for measuring thermal and/orplasma waves in semiconductors is shown. Only the basic elements areillustrated herein. Further details about such a device can found insome of the above cited references as well as U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,074incorporated herein by reference.

Apparatus 200 includes a pump laser 210 for exciting the sample and aprobe laser 212 for monitoring the sample. Gas, solid state orsemiconductor lasers can be used. As described in the assignees earlierpatents, other means for exciting the sample can include differentsources of electromagnetic radiation or particle beams such as from anelectron gun.

In the preferred embodiment, semiconductor lasers are selected for boththe pump and probe lasers due to their reliability and long life. Forexample, pump laser 210 generates a near infrared output beam 214 at 790nm while probe laser 212 generates a visible output beam 216 at 670 nm.The outputs of the two lasers are linearly polarized. The beams arecombined with a dichroic mirror 218. It is also possible to use twolasers with similar wavelengths and rely on polarization discriminationfor beam combining and splitting.

Pump laser 210 is connected to a power supply 230 which is under thecontrol of a processor 232. The output beam of laser 210 is intensitymodulated through the output of power supply 230. The modulationfrequency typically has a range anywhere from 10 KHz to 100 MHz.

After the beams 214 and 216 are combined, they pass through aquarter-wave plate 258 for rotating the polarization of the beams by 45degrees. The beams are directed down to the sample 12 through amicroscope objective 260. Objective 260 has a high n.a., on the order of0.9, and is capable of focusing the beam to a spot size on the order ofa few microns and preferably close to one micron in diameter. Thespacing between the objective and the sample is controlled by anautofocus system (not shown).

The returning reflected beams 214 and 216 pass through the quarter-waveplate 258 a second time, resulting in another 45 degree polarizationrotation. This second rotation allows the beams to be reflected by thebeam splitter 258 towards detector 270. Prior to reaching the detector,the beams strike wavelength selective filter 272 which removes the pumpbeam light 214 allowing only the probe beam light 216 to be measured bythe detector.

Detector 270 provides an output signal which is proportional to thepower of the reflected probe beam 216. Detector 270 is arranged to beunderfilled so that its output can be insensitive to any changes in beamdiameter or position. In the preferred embodiment, detector 270 is aquad cell generating four separate outputs. When used to measurereflected beam power, the output of all four quadrants are summed. Whenthe subject apparatus is operated to measure beam deflection, the outputof one adjacent pair of quadrants is summed and subtracted from the sumof the remaining pair of quadrants. This latter beam deflectionmeasurement is discussed in greater detail in the above cited patents.

The output of the photodetector 270 is passed through a low pass filter272 before reaching processor 232. One function of filter 272 is to passa signal to the processor 232 proportional to the DC power of thereflected probe. Another function of filter 272 is to isolate thechanges in power of the reflected probe beam which are synchronous withthe pump beam modulation frequency. In the preferred embodiment, thefilter 272 includes a lock-in detector for monitoring the magnitude andphase of the periodic reflectivity signal. Because the modulationfrequency of pump laser can be so high, it is preferable to provide aninitial heterodyne down-mixing stage for reducing the frequency ofdetection. The resulting signals are filtered and demodulated. Theoutputs of demodulation stage are the “in-phase” and “quadrature”signals typical of a lock-in amplifier. The in-phase and quadraturesignals can be used by processor 232 to calculate the magnitude and thephase of the modulated optical reflectivity signal.

As an alternative to using an electronic heterodyne down-mixing system,it is also possible to reduce the frequency of detection using anoptical heterodyne approach. Such an optical approach is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 5,408,327, incorporated herein by reference. In the lattersystem, both of the laser beams are modulated but at slightly differentfrequencies. Both beams generate thermal and plasma waves at theirrespective modulation frequencies. The beam from one laser picks up anintensity modulation upon reflection due to the modulated opticalreflectivity induced in the sample by the other beam. The MOR signalpicked up upon reflection “mixes” with the inherent modulation of thebeam, creating additional modulations in the beam at both the sum anddifference frequency. This process is analogous to electricalheterodyning. The difference or “beat” frequency is much lower thaneither of the initial beam modulation frequencies and can therefore bedetected by a low frequency lock-in amplifier.

To insure proper repeatability of the measurements, the signals must benormalized in the processor. Accordingly, and as discussed in the aboveidentified patents, in the preferred embodiment, a variety of referencedetectors would be provided, the outputs of which are used to normalizethe output of detector 270. Other optical elements, such as filters,collimators, shutters and steering optics would be included, all ofwhich are all well known to those skilled in the art.)

It has been well established that such a system can be used to evaluatethe level of ion implantation in a semiconductor. Ion implantationcreates damage in the crystalline structure which impedes the flow ofthe thermal and plasma waves which can be measured.

It has also been known to use such equipment to measure the thickness ofthin metal films. In addition, such equipment has been used to monitorthe surface states of a material. More specifically, and as recited inU.S. Pat. No. 4,750,822, incorporated herein by reference, variations inthe thermal wave signal over time can be used to evaluate defect surfacestates. It is believed that the sensitivity of the thermal wave signalto nitrogen concentration is in some way related to the surface statesexisting between the silicon and the gate oxide. It is also believedthat until now, this type of device has not been used to evaluate theconcentration of nitrogen in gate dielectrics. Further, in the proposedmethod, information about nitrogen levels is obtained from an immediatemeasurement as does not require an evaluation of the decay of the signalas described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,822. It should be noted that a decayin the signal has also been observed when measuring nitrided oxide andit is believed that additional information about the sample structurecould be obtained from a decay analysis of the type described in U.S.Pat. No. 4,740,822.

As noted above, a thermal wave device is very sensitive to nitrogenlevels and process parameters. Thus, the output thereof can be used tomonitor variations in these parameters. The device could be operatedwithout calibration if only process variations were of interest. In sucha case, any change in signal would be used an indicator that somevariable in the fabrication step had changed. If more accurateinformation is desired, some samples could be measured with anothertool, such as the ellipsometer/broadband technique disclosed above andthe data obtained could be used to calibrate the thermal wave data.

In order to improve accuracy, it may be desirable to equip a single toolwith the capability of making both ellipsometer/broadband measurementsas well as thermal/plasma wave measurements. Providing multiplemeasurement tools on a single platform allows the probe beams to easilymeasure at the same spot on the wafer without moving the wafer. Inaddition, a single tool has a smaller footprint and therefore takes upless floor space in the semiconductor fabrication facility. By combiningtechnologies in a single tool, costs can be reduced by eliminatingduplicate subsystems such as wafer handlers and computers. Finally, thecombination can simplify and streamline decision making since theinformation from the multiple measurement modalities can be coordinatedinstead of producing conflicting results as in the prior art when twoseparate devices might be used.

A basic form of such a tool is illustrated in FIG. 13. As will be seen,elements from the ellipsometer/broadband device of FIG. 1 and thethermal/plasma wave device of FIG. 12 have been combined (with likereference numbers being used). Some elements have been omitted forclarity and only the main elements are shown. Since the operation of themeasurement tools are the same, the will not be described again.

As can be seen in FIG. 13; the pump and probe light sources are providedfor the thermal wave measurement. In this case, in might be possible touse the a single probe light source for both the thermal wave system andthe narrow band ellipsometer and thus only one is shown. Specifically,probe 212 provides a beam 216 which is measured by detector 270 toobtain the thermal wave signal. In addition, a portion of the probe beam216 can be redirected to strike the sample off-axis so that itspolarization information can be derived with the compensator 98,analyzer 102 and detector 104. Depending upon the particularrequirements, two different lasers could be used to generate twodifferent probe beams (i.e., a semiconductor laser diode for the thermalwave probe and a helium-neon laser for the stable wavelengthellipsometer probe).

FIG. 13 also illustrates a broadband spectrophotometer, including lightsource 22 and the spectrometer detector 58. The subject tool could alsobe configured to perform broadband ellipsometry, beam profilereflectometry or beam profile ellipsometry as discussed with referenceto FIG. 1.

The outputs from the various detectors are combined in the processor ina manner to reduce ambiguities in the measurements. This combination caninclude various fitting algorithms. Alternatively, theellipsometer/broadband measurement can be used to calibrate thethermal/plasma wave measurement, allowing the thermal/plasma wavemeasurement to be used on subsequent samples.

As noted above, there are many different thermal/plasma wave measurementtechniques besides the measurement of modulated optical reflectivity.These devices are described in the above-cited patents and includemeasurement of the angular deviations of the probe beam as well asinterferometric techniques. In addition, there are some relatedtechniques, which include monitoring stress pulses or acoustic waves,that could also be applied to the subject invention. All of thesetechniques have in common the use of a pulsed pump beam to excite thesample and a separate probe beam for investigating the effects of thepump. Those devices are also with the broad scope of the subjectinvention. Such systems are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,710,030 and6,081,330, also incorporated by reference.

While the subject invention has been described with reference to apreferred embodiment, various changes and modifications could be madetherein, by one skilled in the art, without varying from the scope andspirit of the subject invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A system for evaluating the nitrogen content in a thin filmdielectric layer formed on a sample, comprising: a source ofquasi-monochromatic light for generating a first probe beam of a knownwavelength, the first probe beam directed to reflect off the surface ofthe sample at a non-normal angle of incidence; a first detector systemfor monitoring a change in polarization state of the first probe beaminduced by the interaction with the sample and generating first outputsignals in response thereto; a source of polychromatic light forgenerating a second probe beam directed to reflect off the surface ofthe sample; a second detector system for monitoring the second probebeam after reflection from the sample and determining one of a magnitudeand a change in polarization state thereof at a plurality of wavelengthsand generating a plurality of second output signals correspondingthereto; and a processor for receiving the first and second outputsignals and evaluating the nitrogen content of the thin film dielectriclayer based on a combination of the first and second output signals. 2.A system according to claim 1, wherein: the processor is capable ofdetermining a thickness of the thin film dielectric layer based on thefirst output signals.
 3. A system according to claim 1, wherein: thesource of polychromatic light produces light in the UV region.
 4. Asystem according to claim 1, further comprising: a theoretical modelincluding characteristics for the sample, the processor capable of usingthe model to evaluate nitrogen content based on the combination of thefirst and second output signals.
 5. A system for evaluating the nitrogencontent in a thin film dielectric layer formed on a sample, comprising:an off-axis ellipsometer operable to measure the sample, the off-axisellipsometer including a stable narrow band wavelength source andgenerating first output signals; a source of polychromatic light forgenerating a second probe beam directed to reflect off the surface ofthe sample; a detector system for monitoring the second probe beam afterreflection from the sample and determining one of a magnitude and achange in polarization state thereof at a plurality of wavelengths andgenerating a plurality of second output signals corresponding thereto;and a processor for receiving the first and second output signals andevaluating the nitrogen content of the thin film dielectric layer basedon a combination of the first and second output signals.
 6. A system forevaluating the nitrogen content in a thin film dielectric layer formedon a sample, comprising: a laser for generating a first probe beam of aknown wavelength, the first probe beam directed to reflect off thesurface of the sample at a non-normal angle of incidence; a firstdetector system for monitoring a change in polarization state of thefirst probe beam induced by the interaction with the sample andgenerating first output signals in response thereto; a source ofpolychromatic light for generating a second probe beam directed toreflect off the surface of the sample; a second detector system formonitoring the second probe beam after reflection from the sample anddetermining one of a magnitude and a change in polarization statethereof at a plurality of wavelengths and generating a plurality ofsecond output signals corresponding thereto; and a processor forreceiving the first and second output signals and evaluating thenitrogen content of the thin film dielectric layer based on acombination of the first and second output signals.
 7. A system forevaluating the nitrogen content in a thin film dielectric layer formedon a sample, comprising: an off-axis ellipsometer including a stablenarrow band wavelength source, the off-axis ellipsometer operable tomeasure the sample and generate first output signals in responsethereto; an optical measurement device operable to measure the responseof the sample and generate second output signals in response thereto,the optical measurement device utilizing a measurement techniqueselected from the group consisting of: a) spectroscopic ellipsometry; b)spectroscopic reflectometry; c) multiple angle reflectometry; and d)multiple angle ellipsometry; and a processor for evaluating the nitrogencontent of the thin film dielectric layer based on a combination of thefirst and second output signals.